Acclaimed author Alan Furst has written several historical fiction novels. In Dark Star, Andre Szara, a Polish journalist who becomes a spy for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, is ordered to complete many tasks of espionage in Paris. Through Szara's character, the beginnings of World War II are revealed. George Guidall's gripping narration complements this suspenseful tale.

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Publisher's Summary

Acclaimed author Alan Furst has written several historical fiction novels. In Dark Star, Andre Szara, a Polish journalist who becomes a spy for the Soviet Union in the late 1930s, is ordered to complete many tasks of espionage in Paris. Through Szara's character, the beginnings of World War II are revealed. George Guidall's gripping narration complements this suspenseful tale.

Listen to Alan Furst discuss his craft with fellow writers Walter Mosley and Scott Turow at

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What the Critics Say

"Intelligent, provocative, and gripping novel....Beautifully and compellingly told." (Publishers Weekly) "A rich, deeply moving novel of suspense that is equal parts espionage thriller, European history, and love story." (The New York Times) "Captures the murky allegiances and moral ambiguity of Europe on the brink of war....Nothing can be like watching Casablanca for the first time. But Furst comes closer than anyone has in years." (Time)

I really enjoyed this book. It?s a story of espionage set in pre -WII Europe. Although its a work of fiction, the story is filled with accurate and detailed historical facts. In this sense, it reminded me of a good James Michner novel.

If I could have, I would have given the story a 4.5 star rating. There are a lot of details in it and it is NOT a book you can casually listen to. What makes it more challenging is the abundance of Polish, German, and Russian names and places? I had to listen to parts of the book a couple times to make sure I of my facts.

At times, the book may seem to lack direction, but things are tied together nicely near the end. The narrator is excellent and I?ll look for more by both the author and the narrator.

Alan Furst's great historical espionage novel, Dark Star is a prewar epic of Europe's moral ambiguities and shifting loyalties. Told through the eyes of Pravda journalist and Luftmensch (and sometimes NKVD spy) André Szara, the story stretches from Paris to Berlin, Warsaw, and even down to Izmir. In this novel Furst examines ideas of trust and suspicion, love and hate, magnetism and repulsion.

It is a novel about the compromises good men make to survive, the power that a few evil men have over millions, and the sacrifices a few Luftmenschen make to save thousands. Ultimately, Dark Star is a story of the Russian and German nonaggression pact (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact) at the beginning of WWII and how the Jewish members of Stalin's spy network were forced to make huge compromises to survive (most didn't survive) and how some were pushed into heroics because decency and the times demanded it.

The magic of this novel is that Furst is able to unweave the complicated nature of the prewar spy alliances and show all the different threads and colors and never lose the reader. His prose is amazing. His characters are nearly perfect. One of my favorite historical spy novels of all time.

I am mystified by some of the comments made by other reviewers. This is not a pleasant listen but a rather terrifying tale of survival in the midst of two brutal totalitarian regimes.

It is set in the late 1930s in Europe. Stalin has the Soviet Union in his iron grip. Millions, mostly Jewish intelligentsia, have been purged. Hitler has risen to power in Germany and is ratcheting up his plan to eliminate Jews from Germany. The protagonist, Andre Szara, is a Polish born Jew and a noted foreign correspondent for Pravda. Many of his friends and associates have been purged and he knows his days are probably limited. Now the NKVD have asked him to spy for the Soviet Union and he can hardly say no. Soon he is running spies in Germany. There's a lot more going on as this is just the beginning.

I found the book to be very intelligently written and atmospheric. I am not an espionage expert, but everything seemed very realistic. The reader was fine. I recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic historical novels about espionage.

Furst spins a great yarn about a Jewish Soviet journalist who, in the years before WWII, becomes a spy for the Russians in Germany and France. The threat from his own spymasters in Moscow worries him almost as much as threat from the Nazis. He makes love to several women during his travels through Europe, but not in the half-comical James Bond/Don Juan way. He really falls in love with them. They break through the walls and rescue him from the enforced loneliness of espionage. And when he loses them, his grief is heavy and palpable.

Two things more: It helps to review a little bit of history before digging into this one, esp. the history leading up to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact of 1939. Much of what goes on will be clearer. Also, George Guidall narrates this one, and he does a superlative job (once again).

One thing I've learned about audiobooks is that the narrator can make or break the experience. In this case, he takes exquisite, intelligent writing about an intruiging subject and creates the perfect atmosphere in which to enjoy it.

I could not stop listening to this book once I got throught the first two chapters.

Some of his other books are better. This one had too broad a story to maintain long term interest. Well written as usual. Best part was his description of how Russians thought during the Stalinist purges of the 30s.

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. I was never sure who to root for--the main character is a Stalinist in the era of the purges and he is spying on the Nazis. There was a lot going on here.

On the plus side, the book is wonderfully narrated. The narrator does a particularly job with voices, giving the listener a good feel for the characters. The writer creates a well-crafted sense of atmosphere and place, with a nice touch for details. On the minus side, despite length of book, couldn't really understand motivations of main character. Prose style also a bit self-concious, as if writer were searching too often for a clever turn of phrase. But overall pleasant and enjoyable.

A good listen. Intersting characters, good plot, and terrific atmospherics. It helps to know a little about Soviet history or at least be willing to look things up if that curious. Even, however, without much historical knowledge, the plot is still fascinating and in its broad outlines makes sense. Think Carre, noir and Littel and you will have a sense of how the book reads.

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